4 FanDuel Premier League Players to Avoid for Matchweek 36

Stoke City have struggled away from home, and they're going up against a stout Bournemouth defense, putting Marko Arnautovic in a tough spot. Which other players should we avoid for Matchweek 36?

The main slate for Matchweek 36 features five Saturday matches, and for the second straight matchweek, the slate does not include any club in the top six of the Premier League table. FanDuel’s late swap is available for the slate as it continues to be available for all soccer slates.

As with any sport, it is imperative to have your players, especially the high-priced studs, live up to their price tag. When making an investment into any player, it is important to determine which players will likely contribute in FanDuel's emphasized areas (goals, assists, and shots on target). It's also just as important not to overspend on players in bad matchups.

We should look to take advantage of the teams -- and players -- who play especially well either home or away while also looking at Vegas favorites and over/under totals. DFS players, as always, should look at injury reports and confirmed starting XI's when they become available.

Let's take a look at four players, across the entire pitch, who should be avoided in the upcoming matches.

Forward

Marko Arnautovic, Stoke City

FanDuel Price: $8,100

Arnautovic is the fourth-highest priced forward for Matchweek 36, and he has averaged 16.26 FanDuel points this season. Arnautovic is priced well below the top-tier forwards on the slate as he is $3,500 cheaper than Everton’s Romelu Lukaku and $1,500 less than Leicester’s Jamie Vardy, but he is the top-priced “value” forward.

Although listed as a forward, Arnautovic has only lined up as a forward in five matches this season as he generally plays in the midfield, on all sides, and both as an attacking-midfielder and a regular midfielder. The Cherries allow the 10th-fewest shots in the Premier League and maintain 52.2% of the possession on their home pitch. The Potters take the fifth-fewest shots on target (3.1) and only maintain 46.6% of the possession in road matches.

Arnautovic and Stoke travel to Dean Court to face Bournemouth. The Potters are a 0.5-goal underdog and have an implied total of 1 goal, with the over/under set at 2.5 goals.

The Potters are not a good squad away from bet365 stadium as they have scored the seventh-fewest goals in road matches. Not surprisingly, Arnautovic has also struggled away from home as he has not recorded an assist and has created half as many chances away from his home pitch.

DFS players will definitely want some exposure to the top-three forwards on the slate, with Vardy and Joshua King being in great form and Lukaku always capable of a huge performance despite not performing as well away from Goodison Park. However, with Hull City being tied with Leicester as the largest favorite on the slate and Burnley playing at home as a 0.5-goal favorite, Arnautovic does not offer as much perceived value as other forwards such as Oumar Niasse and Ashley Barnes.

Midfielder

Etienne Capoue, Watford

FanDuel Price: $6,900

Capoue is the sixth-highest priced midfielder for Matchweek 36, and he has averaged 17.68 FanDuel points this season. Capoue has only reached his average once in his last 10 matches while averaging 11.9 FanDuel points in that span.

Capoue and Watford travel to King Power Stadium to face Leicester City, and they enter Saturday’s match with the lowest implied total (0.75 goals) on the slate. The Hornets have not scored in two straight matches as well as not scoring in four straight matches away from Vicarage Road.

These two clubs have been complete opposites over their last six matches -- the Hornets have earned six points and are the sixth-worst squad in the EPL in that span while the Foxes have picked up 13 points and are tied as the second-best squad over the last six matches. The Foxes have allowed only four goals in that span while conceding only one goal in their last three matches at King Power Stadium.

The Hornets average 9.6 shots per match and maintain 46.6% of the possession in road matches but have been in poor form. The main slate is not ripe with top-tier forwards, so DFS players will want some exposure to the top three midfielders. But it may be wise to avoid Capoue in a poor matchup against a Foxes squad in good form.

Defender

Christian Fuchs, Leicester City

FanDuel Price: $7,000

Despite being unable to reach his season-long average -- 19.81 FanDuel points -- for the second straight matchweek, Fuchs has seen his price rise $400 and is now the top-priced defender for Matchweek 36.

With Watford’s poor form, Fuchs should not expect to see heavy pressure from a mediocre Hornets attack. Watford, along with their low implied total, are not a great matchup for defenders on the left side. They have allowed the second-fewest blocked shots (5), fifth-fewest clearances (78) and sixth-fewest interceptions (44) to that position, but they do allow the fourth-most tackles (69) to defenders on the left side.

The top-priced defenders on Saturday’s slate all seem to have poor matchups for defenders -- yes, even Hull’s defenders -- making paying up for a back-liner a questionable strategy. Meaning, for the second-straight matchweek, Fuchs is the top defender to avoid.

Keeper

Ben Foster, West Brom

FanDuel Price: $6,400

The top-priced keepers on this week’s slate are all favorites and each has a good chance of keeping a clean sheet, but their expected shot volume is in question. Foster, the 10th- highest priced keeper on the slate, is likely to see a low number of shots, and keeping a clean sheet may be difficult, which greatly limits his ceiling.

Foster and West Brom travel to Turf Moor to face Burnley, who are currently the sixth-best squad on their home pitch. The Clarets enter Saturday’s match as a 0.5-goal favorite, and the over/under is set at 2 goals, the lowest total on the slate.

Burnley have been blanked in four matches this season at Turf Moor, but with the exception of Matchweek 1, when the Clarets were held scoreless by the Swans, Burnley have only been held scoreless by the Premier League’s top clubs (Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United). The Clarets have been able to have a spectacular season in front of their home fans, despite taking the fifth-fewest shots on target (3.5) in home matches this season.

Burnley should expect an uptick in shots this week -- but not enough to justify as roster spot for Foster -- as the Baggies are the league’s worst squad at maintaining possession. Foster has only kept two of his six clean sheets this season away from the Hawthorns, and DFS players should not look to save money with Foster. Instead, roster a keeper who should expect a clean sheet with the possibility of seeing a high number of shots.